Air Force Recognizes N.M. Wing for Service |
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The New Mexico Wing’s service to the state and nation during the COVID-19 pandemic was recognized with a special presentation by U.S. Air Force Col. Michele Boyko of Air Forces Northern, seen at left awarding the plaque to Col. Annette Peters, the wing's commander.
Beginning in April 2020, the wing flew time-critical coronavirus test samples from far-flung cities across New Mexico to laboratories in Albuquerque for processing. The flights helped get COVID-19 test results delivered quickly to aid in treatment and in tracking close contacts of patients diagnosed with the disease. When the first vaccines became available, wing aircrews quickly turned to speeding the medicine from Albuquerque to numerous towns and cities.
Throughout the pandemic, nearly 140 members contributed at least 13,627 volunteer labor hours, including 581 flight hours and 5,354 miles driven in ground vehicles. The final flights in the COVID-19 relief missions came in March of this year.
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Phelka Presents Spaatz Awards to Ga. Siblings |
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Two Georgia Wing siblings — Cadet Cols. Kay McAbee and Leland McAbee of the Ellijay Composite Squadron — have been awarded CAP’s top cadet honor, the Gen. Carl A. Spaatz Award, with Maj. Gen.-select Ed Phelka presenting the pair with their framed certificates.
Less than one-half of 1% of CAP cadets achieve the Spaatz award. Despite the rarity of a brother and sister earning the honor, the Ellijay squadron can point to another such pair — Cadet Cols. Robert and Nikki Mallinak, who received their Spaatz awards in 2016 and 2019, respectively.
“It’s an absolute privilege to get to recognize such outstanding cadets like the McAbees,” said Phelka, CAP's national vice commander who will become national commander in August, “but to have two sets of Spaatz siblings in one squadron? Something is going very, very right here.”
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4 More Cadets Earn 'Wings' Through CAP Program |
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Cadet Master Sgt. Myles Harper (top right) of the Illinois Wing is the 89th cadet to earn his FAA private pilot certificate through CAP's Air Force-funded Cadet Wings program.
Harper, a member of the Lake County Composite Squadron in Grayslake, is the third Illinois cadet to receive his “Wings,” joining Cadet Maj. Parker Woods (#75), who earned his certificate in March, and former Cadet Maj. Roi Nober (#45), who received his certificate in February 2020.
More recently, three other cadets have earned their certificates through the program:
- Cadet 1st Lt. Alexander Realuyo (#90) of the New York Wing's Phoenix Composite Squadron in Astoria, seen at right with his examiner, Byron Hamby.
- Cadet Tech. Sgt. Samuel Budoff (#91), not pictured, of the Colorado Wing's Broomfield Composite Squadron in Golden.
- Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Dominica Thomas (#92), bottom right, of the Georgia Wing's Marietta Air Museum Cadet Squadron in Marietta.
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CAP Family of Chaplains Contributes to Operation |
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On June 16, a family of three chaplains from the Arizona and Minnesota wings came together at Falcon Field in Mesa, Ariz., for CAP's 85th COVID-19 Blood Donor Center event.
Participating were a father, a son and a son-in-law — Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Tom Bauder (standing, right), Arizona Wing chaplain; Chaplain (Maj.) Kevin Bauder (seated) of the Minnesota Wing's North Hennepin Composite Squadron; and Chaplain (Maj.) Tom Tostenson of the Arizona Wing's Falcon Composite Squadron 305. Three units of blood were also collected from the chaplains.
The operation was the 26th COVID-19 donation event hosted by the Falcon squadron, netting 32 units of blood. This brought the squadron's total collections up to 798 units, leading all the nation's temporary Blood Donor Centers.
To date, national CAP collections are at 4,389 units of blood — 88% toward the Oct. 1 goal of 5,000 units.
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Early Bird Registration Begins for National Conference
It's time once again for the most exciting event of the year, Civil Air Patrol’s 2021 Virtual National Conference. Last year’s event saw more than 10,000 members come together online to connect, learn and celebrate. This year, in celebration of our 80th anniversary, CAP is looking back on its Proud Past, and forward to Envisioning the Future.
Early Bird Registration opened June 22 and CAP is pleased to announce that if you register by July 12, your registration is free ($50 ticket value). Many thanks to our sponsors and command team for making this possible. In addition to free registration, members who sign up during Early Bird Registration will receive a specialized background for use during the conference, as well as a special discount code for a book written by one of our keynote speakers.
Just click the blue button below to register. 1941history2021 is the access code you'll use to sign up.
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Join the Entrepreneurs Innovation Competition |
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Just two weeks are left to submit your invention to the 2021 CAP Entrepreneurs Innovation Competition.
Don’t miss out on your chance to be recognized by the National Commander for your innovation solution at the National Conference. Submissions to HUBCAP are due by July 6 for a chance to virtually present your invention and be recognized for your creative contributions.
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Calling All CAP Videographers: Share Your Clips With Us |
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Do you have an excellent video from a CAP event or perhaps from a squadron activity?
National Headquarters' Marketing and Strategic Communications team is seeking video to share and use for CAP's 80th anniversary as well as for recruiting projects.
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The Colorado Wing is the focus of this edition of “This Week in CAP History.”
This 1976 Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph article shows a group of Colorado Wing cadets participating in a survival course with instructors from the U.S. Air Force Academy.
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This Week's Top Headlines |
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“Civil Air Patrol Cadets Take First Orientation Flights”
“(Wyo.) Wing Commander Presents Charter to Wind River Composite Squadron”
“Future Leaders Winner Learning Aerospace in Civil Air Patrol”
“Learning to Soar — Without an Engine”
“Fire and Air: Civil Air Patrol Assists in Early Detection of Wildfires”
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CAP Marketing & Strategic Communications
877-227-9142
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